West Brom got back to winning ways in style on Saturday as they thumped Preston 4-1 at The Hawthorns, with Dwight Gayle once again making the difference.

The on-loan Newcastle striker has gone somewhat under the radar in the Championship this season as several other players have attracted more praise.

Yet, his hat-trick against North End took him to 21 goals for the campaign. That's even more impressive when you consider he was controversially played out wide quite regularly under Darren Moore.

However, he was back down the middle against Alex Neil's men - and back amongst the goals, as our graphic shows.

The 28-year-old was at his clinical best, scoring three from four shots in what was an outstanding individual performance.

A criticism of Gayle in the past has been that he often doesn't get involved in the play and is simply a goalscorer.

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That wasn't the case against Preston though, with the ex-Crystal Palace man tidy in possession, making one key pass, running at the defence and even winning three aerial duels. Quite simply, he was too much for the visitors to handle.

And, the goals were exactly the sort of strikes you'd expect from someone with his natural instincts in the penalty box.

Firstly, he expertly knocked in a wonderful pass from Chris Brunt before getting two classic poachers goals which were a case of the right place at the right time as the ball fell loose.

But, that's not luck with Gayle who has an ability to sniff out chances.

With Albion nailed on for a play-off place, the focus will slowly be switching to who they may face and ensuring they get a second leg at home.

Those games are sure to be close, tight encounters but Gayle could well be the man to give West Brom the edge.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.